. >> reporter: civil rights attorneys say they do not take this move lightly. late today they filed this motion in federal court asking a judge to place the oakland police department under federal receivership. as you mentioned, t a moit is a that is unprecedented but necessary because of what they call the oakland police department's chronic failure to make reforms. >> the recent uptick in murders where this city tragically experienced five murders in just an 18-hour period cannot be allowed to continue and will not be tolerated. >> reporter: tough talk from oakland's police chief as crime spikes and the department comes under fire by a federal monitor yet again. in back-to-back reports, the monitor criticized the department's handling of officer-involved shootings and of occupy oakland demonstrations. putting the chief in defensive mode. >> we have the fourth most dangerous city in america. these are challenges that my officers face every single day. we're not making up any of this stuff, the fact -- reality of what we see here in this department or in this c